


Don't (You) Forget About Me

by LauraHaleIsABaddass2K21



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alpha Derek Hale, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, BAMF Stiles, Canon Died a Horrible but Necessary Death, Derek Hale & Scott McCall are Both Alphas, Female Stiles Stilinski, Gen, How Do I Tag, I think I have a good idea but you be the judge of my execution, Kinda?, Magical Stiles Stilinski, Melissa and John are basically co-parent bffs, Memory Loss, Pack Dynamics, Pack Family, Past Allison Argent/Scott McCall, Post-Nogitsune Stiles Stilinski, Rating May Change, Scott is a Good Friend, Sheriff Stilinski's Name is John, Spark Stiles Stilinski, Stiles Stilinski is Missing, Stiles is missing but no one remembers her, Tags May Change, True Alpha Scott McCall (Teen Wolf), Wild Hunt (Teen Wolf), but like its very different from canon, but like there is no power play, cause why not, gender norms are my enemy, so like if you wanna pretend stiles is still male, the season 3 rewrite we all deserve, theyre just both alphas, we don't talk about it much but you all know thats true, wow thats a whole ass tag
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-28
Updated: 2021-03-18
Packaged: 2021-03-19 11:08:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,078
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29749599
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LauraHaleIsABaddass2K21/pseuds/LauraHaleIsABaddass2K21
Summary: "What the hell is a Stiles?"*Stiles' fingers shook as she sent the text - possibly the last words she would ever communicate to anyone. Stiles wanted to believe it was a good plan, that it would work, but that lingering doubt in the back of her head made her dizzy with nausea. This might be it.Well, at least it's not something stupid like tripping down the stairs, because really, that was a bullshit way to go.The lightning marks were fading, and it was waking up, and she could hear them coming. Well, shit. It was now or never.Or: The ghost riders came earlier, and Stiles is a BAMF
Relationships: Chris Argent/Peter Hale, Derek Hale/Stiles Stilinski, Melissa McCall & Sheriff Stilinski, Minor or Background Relationship(s), Scott McCall & Stiles Stilinski, minor Lydia Martin/Jackson Whittemore - Relationship, minor Vernon Boyd/Erica Reyes - Relationship
Comments: 2
Kudos: 36





	1. is something missing? I feel like we forgot something

_"T h e d a r k e s t d a y._

_T h e b l a c k e s t h o u r._

_C h i n u p, s h o u l d e r s b a c k._

_L e t ' s s e e w h a t w e ' r e m a d e o f, y o u a n d I."_

_-Doctor Who, S08E11_

* * *

The moon was high in the sky, watching over the quiet town. Most of the inhabitants were long since gone from consciousness, and anyone passing through would no doubt believe the counterfeit peace.

In the middle of the woods, there was someone who knew very well how dangerous the town really was. Especially tonight. Especially for _her_.

Dragging in ragged breaths, she tried to ignore the bile in her throat as she ran. She knew they weren't close ( _yet, not yet_ ), but she also knew she needed more time. After some time, she stopped, her chest feeling like it would burst. She was here.

Stiles looked at the Nemeton and tried to keep her hands steady as she set to work _(oh God, please let this **work** )_ \- she obviously couldn't have asked Deaton to demonstrate the spell, so she was guessing. Pulling on the energy from the Nemeton, she took out the note she had written, and completed the spell, praying to someone she didn't believe in that she had gotten it right as she felt the rush of energy leave her. With that out of the way, all she could do now was wait _(and fuck, this was literally the **worst** part of her whole goddamn life)._

When she heard a horse in the distance, she reached for her phone. This would disappear soon, and it was _stupid,_ but impulsive was Stiles' middle name, so why not. She pulled up Scott's contact on her phone and sent a simple message.

**Scotty, I know this won't matter in a few minutes, and maybe it won't matter at all, but if you remember me then remember I love you. All of you.**

**-S.S.**

Stiles' fingers shook as she sent the text - possibly the last words she would ever communicate to anyone. Stiles wanted to believe it was a good plan, that it would work, but that lingering doubt in the back of her head made her dizzy with nausea. This might be it.

Well, at least it's not something stupid like tripping down the stairs, because really, that was a bullshit way to go.

The lightning marks were fading, and it was waking up, and she could hear them coming. Well, shit, it was now or never.

Turning back to the Nemeton, she began to work on the second spell _(p_ _lease let this work, please let this work)._

Just as she was finishing the spell, she felt a hand grip the back of her shirt, yanking her away from everything she'd ever known.

The world went black, and the woods fell silent...

* * *

When Scott made to hit the call button _(because what the hell was that message)_ , he suddenly forgot what he was doing. He looked down at his phone screen, which was black, and frowned. He had that feeling, like when you walked into a room and forgot why you went there, but he was certain he had been doing something important. After several seconds passed of not being able to recall, he sighed and laid back on his bed. If he had forgotten it, surely it could wait until tomorrow.

He went to sleep.

*

When Scott woke up, he felt like something was _wrong._ He blinked because there was no reason he should feel like that. He pulled at his pack bonds, but everyone felt fine. But something was _missing_. He reached for his phone and checked the group chat. There were no new messages but...

**McCallMeMaybe: Is everyone ok?**

He waited a few minutes and then watched the bubbles appear on his screen. It was Lydia. 

**Strawberry: Yeah** **why?**

And Scott... didn't know how to answer that. It was a totally fair question because the pack bonds were _fine_ and Scott had _no reason to doubt that_ , but he had doubted it anyway. Why had he even asked? Nothing _seemed_ to be wrong...

_(but it was, it was all so so wrong, and there was something **missing** and when he had first woken up just breathing had hurt a little and he didn't know **why why why** )_

Scott thought on it for a few more moments, before he typed out his lame answer that expressed none of what he was currently feeling.

**McCallMeMaybe: I just had a weird feeling, it's probably just this whole 'alpha' thing**

It _could_ have been true - he'd only barely become an Alpha, and he was still adjusting. Derek had helped a little, but the truth was Derek was never meant to be an Alpha either, and both of them were pretty lost. Peter had been training both of them, and he was really good at that, but he even he didn't really know all the differences between Alpha's and True Alpha's, so Scott was really learning on the job here. He saw the bubble appear again. Isaac, this time. Oh, and there's Derek.

**ScarvesAlways: R U ok? should we cover 4 u @ school?**

**Eyebrows4Days: Scott? Do you need me to come over?**

Scott groaned. Great, now everyone would be hovering all day. He'd just have to stick close too Sti-

He choked and tried to remember what he had just thought. Getting deja vu from last night, when he was sure he was about to call something, he tried to grasp at a memory that was almost there. His head hurt, and wow that was strange, he hadn't really gotten headaches since he'd been bitten. His head hurt, and it felt empty, and whatever he had been thinking moments before was just _gone_. 

Huh. Maybe he should stay home today.

With a sigh, he typed out his reply.

**McCallMeMaybe: Nah, I think I'll be ok - if it gets to be too much I'll let you guys know**.

* * *

When Derek woke up, he felt like something was _wrong._ He blinked because there was no reason he should feel like that. He pulled at his pack bonds, but everyone felt fine. But something was _missing_. He frowned and tried to think about why he felt this way. It almost felt like...

He shut down that train of thought, _(because n_ _o, it is way too fucking early to go **there** )_. He pulled himself out of bed with a groan and went downstairs to go make breakfast. Peter was already in the kitchen with some coffee, and after listening for a moment he concluded that Isaac was still in his room sleeping. He asked Peter to watch the eggs while he woke up the beta.

As he went into Isaac's room, he took a moment to appreciate the peaceful expression on the beta's face. For the first few weeks _(longer than that, probably)_ , Isaac had almost always screamed himself awake - and on the days he hadn't, it was usually because he hadn't slept. Some days, Derek wished he had killed Isaac's father himself. He didn't understand how anyone could want to hurt Isaac like that, let alone his own father.

It doesn't really matter now, dead is dead _(except for the days when Isaac woke up screaming again, when it mattered more than anything and Derek felt this overwhelming rage and wished that **he had done it-** )_

Dead is dead.

"Isaac, you gotta wake up," Derek kneeled by the bed. He reached out and shook the blonde as gently as he could. Isaac inhaled sharply and jerked awake. He blinked up at Derek. "C'mon, pup, breakfast is almost ready." It wasn't, actually, but it would be by the time Isaac actually got up and went into the kitchen. Isaac nodded up at him, and Derek left the room, trusting that he would be ready soon.

He finished making breakfast and waited for Isaac to trudge into the kitchen. He had barely started eating when he felt his phone buzz. Isaac and Peter's did at the same time, so he knew it was the group chat. He felt panicked for a second as he pulled at his pack bonds again, but... everyone was fine?

_(except that when he felt for his pack bonds he almost felt like he was reaching for nothing and **what was that** because everyone is there, why does it feel like-)_

He ignored the feeling because it was still too fucking early to go _there_ , and he checked his phone because since the first message two more had come. He read over the conversation with a frown, and asked Scott if he needed help, right after Isaac replied himself. Scott's dismissal was far from reassuring because Scott didn't always think things through, and if it wasn't for Stiles he would be-

Derek blinked, and suddenly his throat felt dry. He tried to remember what he had just been thinking, but his mind was suddenly blank. He had been thinking about Scott? He frowned and reread the conversation on his phone. Something was _wrong_ , and maybe his instincts were going haywire. Maybe his heat was coming or something, but this didn't really feel like that, and he wasn't supposed to go into heat for a few more months. He sighed, and looked at Isaac.

"Keep an eye on him today, will you?" He probably didn't even have to ask, but it made him feel better, and Isaac's nod was infinitely more reassuring than Scott's message had been.

*

Peter glanced over at Derek and tried to figure out why he was acting strange. Contrary to what his nephew believed, he was not good at hiding his emotions. Oh, a stranger would have no idea was he was feeling, sure. They would take one look at the scowl on his face and conclude (not incorrectly) that that was just his face. He didn't smile often. 

_(except that he had once, he used to smile **so much** and every time he thought about it he would think that he should have been so much crueller when he killed Kate, that horrible sadistic whore who had stolen his nephew's smile - who had stolen **everything** )_

The point was, Derek was bad at hiding his emotions from _Peter_. Peter knew him too well, had known him too long. So when Derek felt off, when he spaced out most of the morning and began to reek of confusion, Peter noticed. And it didn't make _sense_ , not really, because things were quieter now than they had been in _forever_ , and Peter had been around Derek all of yesterday, and he had been fine.

So what was wrong with his nephew?

Peter, unlike many members of this ragtag group that was his new pack, was not willfully stupid. Unlike them, he did not stick his head in the sand until the truth hit him in the ass and forced him to look up. When something felt wrong, he acknowledged it, because he knew the consequences of being right but realizing too late.

_(all those times where Derek had lied about where he had been and lied about why he smelled different, and Peter had thought maybe he should press for the truth, and all those times Peter had let it go because 'i_ _t's young love, he'll tell me when he's ready' - all those fucking times he could have ended Kate, saved everyone, all those fucking times!)_

So Peter didn't really ignore his gut anymore. And the fact that Derek had started acting weird at the same time as Scott - well, coincidences are basically mythical in their lives _(definently more mythical then werewolves)_ , so yeah, there was no way in hell that Peter was gonna let that go. He tilted his head in Derek's direction curiously. How was he going to approach this?

He really didn't like the idea of leaving whatever was going on to fester, but he needed to figure out more about Scott first. He needed to gather the facts first.

Peter Hale did not ignore his gut feelings anymore, but he also knew that impulsiveness was just as dangerous. He would wait, and keep a close eye on his nephew.

_(after six years in that godforsaken hospital room, he was used to waiting)_

As he thought out all the ways that he could proceed, he almost felt as though he ought to call someone... _someone_ about this. Had he forgotten something? He shook his head, dismissing that feeling. Clearly, Derek's odd behaviour had impacted him. 

* * *

In a different part of town, a man sat down in his kitchen with a glass of whiskey. He couldn't explain it, but when he had woken up that morning, he felt sad.

Just upstairs, to the left, there was a room that he had walked right past that morning as though he couldn't even see it. Throughout his house, there were photographs that were empty and strange, but he took no notice of those either. His house, though it had not changed since yesterday, suddenly felt empty _(and **wrong** , it felt so wrong somehow, but why, it had always been like this, hadn't it?)_

He kept drinking.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So basically I got to thinking - there are not nearly enough fics out there of the pack trying to remember Stiles after he was taken by the hunt. That being said, I don't really like where the show went after season three, and I wanted this to take place during that time. 3a doesn't really matter except in the fact that Erica and Boyde are alive - and Derek is still an Alpha, because obviously.
> 
> Oh, and Jackson is still here, because to hell with the injustices on his character - as soon as he became awesome, we LOST HIM. No. I do not except.
> 
> ALSO no ghost Claudia - for 2 reasons, a) ghost Claudia implies to me that Stiles' mom somehow died because of him, and FUCK THAT, b) she causes more angst than is strictly necessary in an already kinda angsty fic, and I don't like the way she messes with the tone of the story
> 
> (I've never written in this format before so I'm having fun with this guys!)
> 
> So... here we are.


	2. Scott McCall is a shitty actor (but he doesn't seem to know that)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Scott begins to realize that this weird feeling might be kind of serious.
> 
> And John... he is not having a great time right now.

_"Y o u a l w a y s k n e w m e_

_B e t t e r t h a n a n y o n e e l s e I ' d e v e r m e t_

_A n d t h a t ' s w h a t t h r e w m e_

_I t h i n k I l o s t m y s e l f t h e d a y y o u l e f t"_

_-Lauren Aquilina (Suddenly Strangers)_

* * *

The next few days felt like a blur to Scott. And like, okay, at first he really thought it might be the Alpha thing. He thought for a while that maybe he just wasn't used to Beacon Hills being peaceful anymore, that maybe his instincts were messing with him. But it had been _days_ , and if it was any of those things, they should have passed by now.

For a second or two he even thought it was Allison, maybe some delayed grief for their breakup, but he quickly realized that didn't make sense. The thought of being with Allison again was less appealing than it used to be. He remembered when Boyde told him how she turned him into a goddamn _pincushion_ , and he remembered her deep overwhelming rage at Derek _(when Derek had only bitten her, she was the one who hated werewolves so much she abandoned her daughter when she became one)_ , and he remembered her never caring about what Kate had done to the Hales, and he just-

He would always love her, of _course_ he would, she was his first love, but... he would never open that door again. Forgive did not equal forget.

So yeah, he was pretty sure it wasn't Allison, and he was realizing that it wasn't an Alpha thing either, which left him with no idea why everything felt so fucking wrong. _(he felt like something was gone, he felt like he had lost a limb, and it didn't fucking make **sense** )_. Whatever the hell was going on, his wolf really did not like it. He could feel it rattling in his chest, and he didn't know what to do. 

He couldn't even really remember getting ready this morning. He had been working on autopilot and muscle memory, going through the motions automatically. He wasn't focused in any of his classes - earlier, he hadn't even noticed Mr. Harris calling on him until the man had stopped in front of his desk. It might have been terrifying if his mind wasn't useless _mush_.

As soon as school was over, he'd have to go for a run. Patrolling seemed to help, the last few days. He just had to convince everyone he was fine until last period.

Piece of cake, right?

*

Here's the thing; Scott is a really shitty actor.

The entire pack had noticed he was acting up lately _(though Isaac was pretty sure only him and Peter knew about Derek's odd behaviour lately - yes, Isaac knew too, he's not **that** oblivious thank you very much __PETER_ _)_ , but most of them had been willing to buy the Alpha excuse for the first day or two.

Except, here's the thing; Isaac had started feeling strange too. And that... he really couldn't explain that. _(all that he knew was that this must not have been an Alpha thing, because Isaac is very clearly not an Alpha)_. Also, he really wasn't sure if it was the same thing, because it hadn't started until this morning _(except that's a big ol' lie, it started yesterday, it just got worse this morning)_ , and also it really didn't seem that bad. Really.

No, like seriously, it was totally fine, it was just this odd feeling that maybe the loft was too empty lately. No big deal.

_(why why **why** was it so fucking quiet, shouldn't someone else be here? why the fuck is that chair empty, and what is that smell that isn't there and shouldn't bother him because it was never real and it's definitely in his head, it's in his fucking head-)_

It's really not that bad, and if it is the same thing, he doesn't know why Derek and Scott are being so damn dramatic about it.

The point is, Scott is a shitty actor, and Isaac and Peter have decided that there should be an intervention.

* * *

Parrish glanced at the Sheriff again with concern. He had been acting off these past few days, but no one really knew why. Parrish didn't think the Sheriff himself really knew why. Today was bad though. Parish had been trying to play interference - he knew the Sheriff was a good guy, he was probably just going through a rough patch.

_(a really rough patch, Jesus how much did he drink to stink that_ _badly?)_

Yeah, so the Sherrif wasn't doing so good. The deputy frowned and drew in a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. How the fuck was he supposed to tell his _boss_ that he needed to get it together?

He stalled as long as he could, staring down at paperwork that he wasn't really reading, but after a while he knew he had to say something. He had to say something _today_ because if word ever got out that Stilinski had shown up to work hungover -

Parrish dragged himself up from his desk and went over to the Sheriff's office. He knocked on the door, but he opened it before his boss even had a chance to answer.

"Sheriff?" The blinds had been closed most of the morning, so this was the first time since they'd come into work that Parrish really got a good look at the man, and _oh_ , oh hell, he looked like shit. The older man looked up, a frown set on his face, but it didn't seem like it was really directed at Parrish.

"You need somethin' Deputy?" He questioned sluggishly. _(Parrish wasn't sure if he was he was tired, in pain, or still a little drunk - it could very well be a combination of the three)_. Parrish let out a long breath and ran a hand over his face.

"Rough night boss?" He really didn't know how the hell to approach this conversation, but that might not have been the best way to start. When the Sheriff's frown changed from _just his face right now_ to _most certainly directed at Parrish_ , he felt that he might have messed up. 

"You trying to imply something?" His words were a little clearer now, and Parrish wasn't too sure that was a good thing.

"Listen, boss, I've just noticed that you seem like you've been having a hard time lately, and I'm worried sir. I wanted to see that you were alright."

"I see. Well, Deputy, I'm perfectly fine. You can get back to work now." It was a dismissal, clear as day, but Parrish couldn't leave it there. He was quickly realising that the only way to make progress in this conversation was to risk being yelled at.

"You came to work hungover, sir." 

_(and_ _shit, he could have been more delicate with dropping that, but it was the first thing he could think of that might shock the man into listening)_

Sure enough, the effect of the words was immediate. The Sheriff froze up, and his face reddened and twisted, and Parrish knew he had to say what he wanted too quickly before the man could start yelling.

"I've been running interference, sir, so that no one would call you on it, but I can smell it on you. And listen, I know I probably don't have the right to say this, but I'm worried about you. I... Sheriff, I just want to make sure you're alright. I know you're my boss, but it's more than that sir. I'm worried about you. You're really good at your job, and I have never seen you like this. So can you just... can you tell me what's wrong, or at least tell someone? Whatever it is, I'm sure you can fix it."

The Sheriff's face twisted again, but this time it wasn't with anger. He almost looked... like he was _grieving_.

"That's the problem, Deputy..." his voice was quiet, and he looked so _torn_ , like the words he was saying physically hurt him. "I don't _know_ what's wrong."

Parrish didn't know how to respond to that. The two men sat together in silence.

* * *

Even for people who aren't wolves, Scott doesn't understand how anyone can hate running.

Like, sure, running for gym class is always the worst _(Scott still remembers when he had asthma and suddenly had to compare to the fucking sprinters at school, and he remembered how small and inadequate that made him_ feel), but running on your own? Well, that was incredible. 

He loved being able to smell the fresh air, he had always loved fresh air. For someone who had needed to fight for breath at one point, he knew the simple joy and peace of breathing in fresh air. After becoming a werewolf, he had barely been able to sleep without his window open at least a crack. And that feeling, the feeling of breathing in clean, crisp air, was so much better when he was running.

The feeling of the ground underneath his feet was a comfort - it was something he could focus on, and it almost helped him forget the fog that he had been fighting for almost a week now. He listened to the alluring sounds of the woods and let his instincts guide him, allowing his wolf a little more control than usual - ironically, it made him feel more human than he had in days. 

He didn't really remember how long he was running, but by the time he got back to his house his mother had already left for her shift. He opened the door, and was quickly hit by the scent of Isaac. After listening for a moment, he headed into the living room. Peter was there with him.

"You know, I only gave you that key for emergencies." He wasn't really mad, not at all, but he did want to know why they were here.

"I'd say this qualifies," Isaac glanced up at him, looking him up and down. "You look better. Good run?"

Scott frowned. Had Isaac noticed how out of it he was this morning? _(dumb question, he obviously **had** or he wouldn't be here, would he now)_

"Um... yeah, it was great. Why are you here?" 

Peter snorted, and Isaac gave him a look that Scott didn't really understand. When he looked back up a Scott, he looked utterly unimpressed. "You're a shitty actor, Scott. Two out of ten, would not recommend - we all know you've been feeling funky this week, but it's been too long to dismiss as some Alpha bullshit. What's going on, Scott?"

Scott blinked. _(okay, first of all, offensive, and secondly, fuck you too)._ And yeah, obviously he had _known_ someone would figure it out - the pack was not stupid - but he hadn't really expected a confrontation, and he really didn't know how to answer the question. _(admittedly, it was probably naive of him to not expect a confrontation, what even was that logic)_

"Uh..."

Peter sighed, and Scott's eyes slid towards him. "Listen, pup, if there's one thing we cannot afford in this town, it is ignoring our instincts. People die when we do that. So you really need to tell us what's going on, Scotty."

Scott froze. He had no fucking clue why, but the name Peter had used rang in his head and made that emptiness in his chest feel like it would swallow him whole. _(Scotty Scotty Scotty, empty empty **empty w**_ _ **h y**_ _)_

"What did you just call me?" The words were out before he could even think about it, and he didn't know why his voice almost broke when he said it, but he thinks he saw Peter frowning.

"What?"

And then before Scott could think, he suddenly remembered that the night before he had woken up like this, he had... he had been about to call someone right? Who, who had he been about to call? Why couldn't he remember?

" **Scott.** " He jerked his head up, and he saw Peter flashing his eyes at him, and he wondered why for a second before he realized his own eyes were glowing because he could see the red reflected in the light of the TV. Isaac wasn't much better. He was letting the wolf out, and it was forcing the betas to respond.

"Shit, sorry I-" He closed his eyes and tried to breathe, thinking about all the things that made him human. After a few tense moments, he felt himself calm down, and then he opened his eyes. Peter and Isaac were both tense in a way they hadn't been before, and he felt his stomach lurch before he took in their expressions. They didn't look angry, they looked very, very worried. He could see the question in their eyes.

"I... I'm sorry," he breathed out. He flushed and felt shame rise up in him. It had been a while since he lost control like that. "I-I don't know why-"

"This is more serious than I thought if it's causing you to lose control like that," Peter said. He walked over to Scott and put a hand on his neck in a way that would leave his scent behind.

"Hey, it wasn't your fault, your alright Scott." Scott nodded, but he knew he didn't believe the words. Peter regarded him for a moment and seemed to realize it as well. He opened his arms and bared his neck, and it was all Scott could do not to lunge and the man as he buried his nose in the betas neck, breathing in the scent of pack. Peter held him in the way Scott's father might have if the man wasn't an asshole, and it was comforting to him. Isaac shifted in the background, and Scott met his eyes. He didn't know what he was trying to convey with his expression, but he was happy when Isaac came over and threw himself in between them to join the hug. 

He didn't know how much time passed before they all pulled away, but he knew he felt calmer when they did. Isaac looked between the other two men for a moment before opening his mouth to speak.

"So, uh, I don't really know what this means, but I think we should all talk to Derek. And Deaton, probably." Scott met Peter's eyes, and they seemed to reach an agreement.

"Yeah," Scott sighed, "yeah, we should... do that."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Right now we're trying some shorter chapters with quicker updates, and I don't know if it's better to do longer chapters and slower updates, but I'm gonna just mess around a little. This is only the second thing I've posted (and the last book was horrible, so many OC's, why did I do that I don't even like OC's) - and it's also the first thing for Teen Wolf, so I'm hoping this works?
> 
> So... the twins aren't here. But I never said they left Beacon Hills. I don't know if their gonna show up, but I really like them so I wanna keep the option open... yeah.
> 
> Also - yes, I am aware that most brackets start without capitals and have no periods, and no, I will not fix it because this is on purpose. The only reason they would end with a period is if they're between two sentences and the only reason they would start with a capital is if it's a name. I like the way they look so that's how it is.


	3. last I checked, amnesiacs don't attract banshees

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mama McCall finally makes an appearance. 
> 
> Allison goes on an adventure! (Also, if you ship Peter and Chris, read on my love, read on.)
> 
> TRIGGER WARNING: There is a homophobic slur used towards the end of the chapter. It's very brief, but just so you know.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I thought some context might be useful... I've changed some things.
> 
> Firstly, the timeline. According to this universe, season 1 of TW took place over all of sophmore year. S2 took place over all of junior year. 3A was the first half of senior year, and 3B (now) is the last stretch. I did this for a few reasons, but the main purpose was that I wanted these characters to have more history with each other than a few months. 
> 
> Then Sterek... admittedly, this is another reason I changed the timeline. Kate took advantage of Derek when he was a minor, and I just don't believe he would ever do that to anyone else. So because its senior year, Stiles is 18 and has been for a few months. Sterek got together a month after Stiles' 18th birthday (but they had been dancing around each other for a while). The only reason this really matters is to show you that they were together before the Ghost Riders.
> 
> I might go back and eventually write a fic depicting how they got together in this universe, but we'll see.
> 
> This is all stuff you could probably figure out by just reading the fic, but I thought it might be appreciated if I told you now

_"W h e n w e a r e a s l e e p i n t h i s w o r l d,_

_w e a r e a w a k e i n a n o t h e r."_

_-Salvador Dali_

* * *

When Melissa got home, the only light on was outside on the porch. Scott always left it on for her, and she was grateful to her son for that.

She hadn't eaten yet, so her first stop was the kitchen. She grabbed some leftovers from the fridge and heated them up, deciding to take them to her room so she could pass out once she was finished. On the way, she checked in on Scott. 

She knew he didn't need her to worry anymore. He was a werewolf _(because holy hell there are **werewolves** )_, but she was still a mother, and it was in her nature to worry as much as it was in his to howl at the moon.

She poked her head into his room, and she gazed at her beautiful son with love in her eye. He was nothing like his father, and if it wasn't for his jawline, she could almost believe he was entirely hers.

_(he was, really, in every way that counted. Rafael was a sperm donor in function, and Scott was **her** son)_

His face was peaceful, almost. Content. If she didn't know better, she would believe he was perfectly fine.

But she was his mother. She had seen him these past couple weeks, and she _knew_. She _knew_ something was wrong just like she knew how to do bloodwork and fill in a chart.

She had spent as many years memorizing every emotion of her son as she had training to be a nurse, and she knew when he was not alright.

When Scott was a kid, he had an imaginary friend. Melissa remembered how much Scott had loved that figment of his imagination. She remembered the huge beaming grin on his face when they 'hung out'. Melissa couldn't remember when the imaginary friend had left, but she almost wished Scott hadn't outgrown it.

She wanted to see him smile like that again.

Scott had also been happy with Allison, but Melissa wasn't sure how to feel about that relationship anymore. Scott had told her some of the reasons why they had broken up, but not all of them.

He also had his... pack. It was still strange to her, no matter how many times Scott explained the connection they shared. Melissa would probably never understand it, but she knew that it was good for him.

He had more people in his life now than he'd ever had before. So Melissa didn't understand why he was so... lonely. He was lonely, wasn't he?

She shook her head. She was way too tired to mull over this problem now. She sighed, and took her still warm dinner to her room. She put a show on with her computer as she ate, and she let the light sitcom lull her to sleep afterwards.

*

By the time Melissa woke up, Scott had left for school. She found a note on the fridge wishing her a good day, and smiled. With her shift work, they didn't always see each other often, and they had long since learned to communicate with post-its. 

Today was her long-awaited day off, so they could finally have dinner together. Maybe she should invite John. It should be his day off too...

She frowned. When had she last spoken to John? They usually talked more often, but for some reason, she... hadn't thought of him?

She reached over to her phone and dialled his number. As soon as he answered, she felt her stomach drop.

"H-hello?" He dragged out the word in a drawl she was sure wasn't intentional. His voice was breathy and uneven, and she knew immediately that he was drunk.

_What. The. Hell._

"John, what are you doing?"

John's relationship with alcohol was unhealthy at best, and downright self-destructive at worst.

She knew it had started with Claudia. She had barely started to become close with the Stilinski's before Claudia got sick. Scott had taken it really hard, for some reason. He had spent nearly the entire time with his imaginary friend. 

When Claudia died, she had seen something snap in John. It had scared her, and she knew it had scared him once he was sober enough to remember himself. It was the only time she had ever known him to be comparable to Rafael, and that was when she had slapped him out of it.

A few years ago, she had made him promise not to drink. He couldn't spend every day in a haze and a blackout. He had people counting on him. Scot and... and someone else, surely, were counting on him.

So to find out he had been drinking, to find out he was _drunk right now_... it was an uncomfortable revelation, to put it mildly.

"Melissa?" He might have sounded surprised. Maybe he didn't look at the caller ID before answering. Jesus, what if it had been the _station_?

"I'm coming over. Now."

"W-wh-"

She hung up.

* * *

The damn Latin words swam around her head as she typed in the translations.

Allison really hated the linguistics training part of being a hunter.

_(she wasn't a huge fan of most parts that weren't archery training sparring)_

She especially hated it after three hours of translations. She needed a break. 

She could call Lydia, but... 

_But._

That would mean she couldn't do it. It would be an admittance that she was incapable. And she was not incapable. She was not _helpless_. That was the one thing Kate had done for her.

_(don't open that door, don't think about her again, don't think about how she was not the amazing person Allison had idolized growing up, how she was a liar, a murderer-)_

Allison kept translating, and could barely keep her eyes open by the end. This was so _exhausting_ , she never struggled this much with the French translations.

Latin was the bitch that kept on bitching, and she _loathed_ it. 

Allison glared at her screen and mourned her weekend. She would be translating all day at the pace she was keeping. _(it was too damn early for this shit)_

That was how Lydia found her, glaring at her screen like it had offended her.

Lydia marched over and closed the computer, which made Allison jump. 

"Lydia, I didn't save that!" 

The girl in question raised one perfectly shaped eyebrow at her friend. 

"I'll help you catch up later, we need to go." Without waiting for an answer, she grabbed Allison's jacket from the back of the chair and walked out of the room, her heels clicking with each step.

"Lydia!" Allison didn't know why she followed, really she didn't. Lydia's banshee abilities clearly included hypnosis. Allison was not that desperate for a distraction. Honestly, she wasn't.

"Lydia, I am perfectly capable, I don't need your-"

"Yes, Allison, I know. But we need to go." Lydia still wasn't looking at her, and Allison suddenly recognized the blank look in her eyes.

" _Oh_ , is this a banshee thing?"

Lydia suddenly paused, and looked at Allison for the first time since invading her room. "Is what- oh... oh, I think so, actually... I wasn't really focusing on it before."

Allison looked at her friend expectantly. When Lydia did not move, Allison nudged her forward. "Well lead the way, then."

Lydia seemed to come back to reality then, and she kept walking.

*

So... this was new, then.

Usually, Lydia led them to dead bodies when she had a banshee moment. But, from his hyperventilating, Allison was fairly certain this boy was not dead.

Lydia had led them several blocks before eventually stopping in front of an abandoned house. Allison had been a little nervous about just going inside, but after Lydia had walked in Allison hadn't really paused before following. Lydia was out of it in her banshee moments, and Allison couldn't just leave her like that. Not in this town, anyway. Especially not when she was on her way to a _dead body_.

Well, an alive body in this case. But still, it's the _principal_.

Allison kneeled in front of the boy and tried to comfort him.

"Hey," she whispered softly. He looked up.

"I'm not gonna hurt you, I promise. My name is Allison, and this is Lydia. Do... do you need any help?" He wasn't young, really, maybe only a year or two younger than her. Still, he seemed very panicked.

"Wher- where are my parents?" He stuttered a little, and she felt for him.

"I don't know. We can find them though. When did you last see them?"

He seemed to break at the question, and his voice cracked when he answered. "I don't _know_..."

She shared a look with Lydia, who looked equally lost. Turning back to the boy, she asked, "can you tell me your name?"

"Um... it-it's Alex, I think..." he frowned, shaking his head. "It _is_ Alex, but I... I don't remember... I don't remember who named me. I can't - I know I have parents, but I can't..." he didn't finish his sentence, and she didn't know how to respond. Amnesia? How did he get amnesia? It could be something normal, she supposed, but then it wouldn't make sense that Lydia had led them here.

Lydia leaned into Allison and whispered in her ear that they should get him to Deaton's. She nodded, and looked at the boy.

"Alex, would you mind coming with us somewhere? We can help you, but we probably shouldn't stay here."

He immediately shook his head. "No, no, no, what if they come back? They're going to come back!"

It took a while to convince him to go to Deaton's (he was so out of it he didn't even ask why they were going to a vet for help), but once they were there Allison called her dad. She explains everything to him, and hopes that he'll know what to do. She asks if she should call Scott or Derek, but he shoots that down.

_"I'm on my way, honey, and Peter will come too."_

"Peter? Do- should I call him?"

_"No need, I'm coming with your father."_ Peter's smooth voice came on the phone, and she choked. 

"You... wait, what?"

_"We're on our way, Allison,"_ her dad says.

"Dad, what are - _why_ are you with Peter?"

_"We're on our way, Allison,"_ Peter says.

"Dad-" Thay hang up on her.

She stares at the phone for a moment, and Lydia comes outside to see what's going on.

"Allison? What did your dad say?" Lydia stared at her, but Allison honestly didn't know how to answer that question right now.

"Allison?"

"They're on their way, Lydia," she says distantly.

Lydia blinked at the strange expression on her friends face, then slipped back inside.

*

By the time her father and Peter got there, she was pretty sure that Alex's parents had disappeared due to supernatural reasons.

He kept talking about how 'they were coming', but then he forgot who he was talking about. Coupled by Lydia's banshee moment, nothing else made sense.

Almost as soon as Peter and her father got there, that was when he started screaming.

* * *

Chris' life had changed drastically in the past few years. 

_(Allison kept shooting and shooting and oh, fuck, he hated that murderous look in her eyes, not his little girl-)_

He remembered when he had first met Victoria. His father had introduced them, and had pressured them into marriage ever since. Chris had taken one look at her and felt his stomach drop with dread.

_(he saw his life flash before his eyes and **he. fucking. hated. it.** \- he saw a future he didn't want, with a woman he didn't love, having sex that left him feeling so empty **every. damn. time.** )_

As they got to know each other, it had only gotten worse. She had come from a family of hunters too, and she'd seemed eager to marry into the Argents. There was a problem, though - he really, really didn't want to marry a woman. And considering who his father was, that was a problem.

Ultimately, it was why he did marry Victoria. When Gerard went on another drunken rampage about 'those _fucking fags_ ', he hadn't noticed her watching how the blood had drained from his face. He barely noticed her chasing him down after he left the room, either.

She had confronted him, and he was ready to take a bullet between the eyes until she said it was _okay_. 

"Listen, no one has to know, just - marry me. Marry me, and help me have at least one child, and then we can sleep in different rooms and pretend for your family. We can just be friends, or even just co-parents, who live together. You can go wherever you want to... satisfy yourself or whatever, and I can do that too, and as long as we're both careful and our child _never_ finds out, it'll be our secret!" She had looked so emphatic, but he could also see the sincerity in her eyes. If he did this, she would help him hide his sexuality from his father. And - yes, he knew it was messed up! He knew it was basically blackmailing, he _knew_ that, but-

But.

It was also _so much more_ than he had hoped for. He could get married to someone his dad approved of, gag his way through sex a few times instead of a lifetime, and then-

Then he would be free. Or as much as he could be, anyway. And Victoria... she was a good mom, at least. She had taken one look at their daughter and agreed with him to keep her as sheltered as possible from this life.

_(then fucking Kate came and twisted her and Gerard came and fueled a fire that did not belong in his daughter - it was too cruel and evil and Allison was **good** , goddamnit, she was so damn good and how **dare** they)_

Then she got bitten, and she honestly surprised him by going through with the code.

_(like, yes, he knew that was how his father thought, but really? According to the code, good werewolves did exist, and yeah, he would be sad if he got bitten, but he wouldn't have done **that** )_

He hadn't taken it as hard as he'd thought he would.

He had been _sad_ , but-

But she _had_ blackmailed him, and he knew he wouldn't have to remarry, and he was even more free now than before, and yet-

And yet.

She kind of was his friend, after all of it. They had spent years sleeping down the hall from each other, and sharing a morning coffee, and wow this was so _confusing_.

So he was sad. But he was also apathetic, in a way.

He was sad that it made Allison cry.

He kind of missed having coffee with her in the morning.

He hated how quiet the house was sometimes.

He was apathetic, too, because she did it to herself. She _chose_ this, she _chose_ to leave her daughter, and that - well, that wasn't really a person worth mourning, in his opinion.

Enter Peter.

Peter... was a surprise, really. Neither of them had expected to end up where they did. One day, Chris had been out to get coffee after dropping Allison off, and he saw Peter sitting at a table there, and of course he was a sarcastic asshole.

"Why my dear silver sliver, how interesting to run into _you_. Say, we should catch up, shouldn't we? Why don't we sit here and have some laughs."

And _obviously,_ the offer had not been genuine, as was made clear by the tone and the expression on Peter's face, but Chris just-

He sat down.

Honestly, he had no idea why he did it _(maybe it was a fucking power play)_ , and it surprised even him.

It had _definitely_ surprised Peter, judging by the look on his face.

And yes, Peter killed his sister but... his sister was _Kate_ , and Kate had always been a sadistic bitch. 

Peter hadn't known what to say after that, so the two of them just finished their drinks and left. But then they just... kept doing it. They would meet for coffee sometimes. The first few times were silent, but then Peter had _burst_ and started talking, then Chris joined in. Now they just... hung out.

Oh, and they kissed. There was also that. One time, they had been at Chris' house, and Peter just went for it. Now it was just something they _did_.

Until Allison called just now, he hadn't even realized that he had yet to tell his daughter. Now as he and Peter drove over to the veterinarians, he wondered how to approach the conversation.

_(he didn't know it... but they probably wouldn't get that far for a while)_

_(Peter wouldn't get that far)_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, Scott's imaginary friend was actually just Stiles. Scott spent so much time with him that I believe this is the conclusion Melissa would come to fill in the blanks in her memory during her son's playtime and such.
> 
> Do we love it? Do we hate it? Constructive criticism is always welcome :)
> 
> (Constructive only though, hatred is not welcome in my house)
> 
> So I'm gonna try to update once a week, but I don't think I'll commit to a specific day just because my weeks can get weird.


	4. zombie cowboys? well, now I've seen it all

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alex has a bad time, and Peter sees some shit.
> 
> (There is a brief cameo from Stiles)

_"B e c a r e f u l w h o y o u m a k e m e m o r i e s w i t h._

_T h o s e t h i n g s c a n l a s t a l i f e t i m e.”_

_― Ugo Eze_

* * *

After the whole 'intervention' by Peter and Isaac, Scott had been spending a lot of time at the loft lately. 

He still had no fucking clue what was going on, but it did seem like Derek was going through exactly the same thing, which... it helped.

He still felt like... well, it felt like he'd lost something. He wasn't sure what it could have been, but he knew he was ready to stop feeling like this. Every time he thought about it too hard, his head felt like it would split open. 

So he hung out at the loft, with Derek and Isaac, and it helped when he was around his pack. Peter wasn't really around a lot, and he would come back smelling like coffee and the Argents house, and Scott followed Derek's example of not questioning it. 

When Peter was around though, it was... it was nice. Scott hadn't been able to hold his past actions against him in a long time, because he was always _trying_. It meant a lot, how hard Peter tried. Derek tried, too. They both would cook all the time, _~~(and Peter was kind of like the Dad Scott never got to have-)~~_ and they would take care of the pack really well.

Scott remembered how Derek used to be. The whole 'we're brothers now' had freaked him out, _~~(but Derek kind of felt like a brother now-)~~_ but Scott later realized Derek was just trying to get a sense of _pack_ after his pack was ripped away.

If Scott lost his pack, he... he had no idea what he would do.

_(what if his mom never held him again or if he never saw Erica and Boyd cuddle on the couch or he never felt Isaac's oh so tentative hugs and never-)_

So now he was at the loft, on the couch with Isaac watching a movie, when he felt... He felt _something_ , and what the hell-

He jolted up, scaring Isaac, but he _couldn't fucking breath-_

_Peter._

From the growl in the next room, he knew Derek noticed whatever he just felt.

* * *

Peter didn't need to be a werewolf to hear that shrill scream _(Jesus, was this kid another fucking banshee)_. 

Even when he'd died (and all the times he almost had), Peter had never had such a high-pitched scream. Maybe it didn't happen to charming people. 

He glanced at Chris before exiting the car, moving inside. This would be fun.

When he got inside, he saw Deaton and Allison and Lydia standing outside of the door that led into the patient room (which is where Deaton usually patched up werewolves in his spare time). He frowned at them, silently demanding an explanation as Chris came in behind him.

"He-he locked himself in there... Deaton went out for just a _minute_ to check on some puppy or whatever, and he just freaked out and locked himself in there!" Allison hurried out the explanation, a worried expression pulling at her face. Peter stepped forward and pulled the door open, breaking the lock and splintering the wood in some places.

Peter stepped into the room, but as soon as he saw what was in there he stopped, not even thinking to make room for anyone else. The boy was small for his age. Blonde. And he was screaming.

Peter noticed this, but he was too focused on the thing in front of him to really care. What the _fuck_ was that?

It looked almost like a corpse, and it had... was that a _cowboy hat?_ Actually, now that he thought about it, the whole getup was kind of like a cowboy outfit. The creature was entirely focused on the boy, who was _still. fucking. screaming._

Peter was about to jump forward, to defend the kid, but then the creature looked at him, and his blood froze. He felt a weird pull to the creature, and he almost likened it to a pack bond, but it was so... _cold_. He felt like he couldn't move. He distantly heard Chris and Lydia behind him, probably telling him to move so they could see what was going on, but he just... he just... he-

The creature turned back to the boy and _charged_. He heard Alex scream again and jumped forward to do _something_ , but there was a bright flash of green and suddenly the kid and the creature were gone.

And Peter...

Peter felt like he'd just been marked.

*

Chris hadn't stopped asking him what had happened, but Peter had no fucking clue how to explain it. 

They kept trying to figure out where the kid was, but Peter couldn't explain because he could not breathe because _he knew something was coming now_. 

Everything felt hazy, and it was almost like he was catatonic again.

_(burning, he was burning **again** and no one would save him and his family was screaming and he couldn't-)_

"-eter. Peter!" He looked up at Chris. Argent was frowning, and there was unease in his eyes as he gazed at the werewolf. "Peter, tell me what you saw." It wasn't a question anymore, and Peter was realizing that silence would not be allowed for much longer.

He tried to explain it, but articulating it proved challenging as he genuinely didn't understand _what the fuck had happened_.

At some point Scott and Derek came in, with Isaac trailing behind them. They immediately honed in on him, and seemed almost surprised he was there.

He kept talking to Chris as the two alphas twitched restlessly. When he finally glanced at them, Scott _lunged_ for him. The brunette pressed himself against Peter's chest, one hand scenting Peter's neck as he breathed the scent of the beta. Derek looked pained, like he wanted to do the same, but was restraining himself.

"What-" Allison looked at Derek, then at Peter and Scott. "What is wrong with you two? Why are you both acting like Peter almost died?"

Scott made a pained noise, and Derek winced. 

"Something pulled at our pack bonds a moment ago... we felt like we lost Peter for a second."

Peter felt his stomach lurch with dread. Earlier, he had assumed that he was just being dramatic about the cowboy thing... but if Scott and Derek had felt something...

_Shit._

This was bad. 

Chris looked even more concerned now, and Peter wished he could say something to comfort him, but he wasn't very confident that he could right now. 

_(he didn't want to die again, he didn't want - **fuck, no, not again!** )_

"How did you guys feel that? I didn't feel anything..." Isaac suddenly spoke up, and Peter looked at him.

"Alphas feel their pack bonds more strongly than betas do," Derek responded, but Peter was now shaking his head. Until Isaac said that, he hadn't noticed, but it was odd that they felt that much when Peter hadn't even disappeared.

"No, actually... now that I think about it, it is strange. Yes, alphas feel more, but not when a beta feels _nothing_. It's enhanced, but not that much..."

Scott finally pulled away from Peter, frowning. "Maybe... maybe it's a True Alpha thing? Maybe Derek felt it too because of his special connection to me? I mean, two alphas don't normally have a pack bond with each other, so..."

"This is very interesting, but we are going to table this for later. Right now, we have to worry about what the hell took that kid." Chris' voice cut through the debate, and now all eyes were on him.

"Kid? What kid?" Derek frowned.

Peter sighed, ready to go over it again. 

* * *

Stiles looked up as the riders charged into the station. They had brought another one with them. A screamer.

From what Stiles had observed, there were three ways that people entered into the hunt:

Option one, they were screaming. It was quite impressive, really, considering how long the trip to the station could be. Some of them lost their voices a while after that. Most of them broke down for a day or a week as they processed what the fuck had happened.

Option two, they were in shock. They were silent but wide-eyed. Those people usually took the longest to accept what had happened. They could convince themselves they were dreaming, for a while.

Option three was unconscious. Some people passed out when the riders picked them up, or others fainted from fear. Stiles had been unconscious, but that was more because she had drained her magic than anything. She had the benefit of knowing everything going in, but others who came in like that were pretty unpredictable in how they reacted.

She sighed as they dropped the kid down. Being trapped in a train station for possibly eternity was a lot less exciting than it sounded. The first few days here she had been panicked, but it quickly became dull. This might be the worst way to die, if only because it was taking _so long_ , and she still didn't know if she was going to _stay_ dead.

Not knowing was probably the worst part of it.

And, yeah, she wasn't _technically_ dead yet, but if she didn't get out, she might as well be.

Her family and friends were so completely out of reach, and she had been forgotten. As far as she was concerned, that was as good as dead.

She wondered if her dad had started drinking again, and decided not to think about it. It hurt way too much that she couldn't do anything about the answer.

The kid was moving around now, trying desperately to get recognition from any of the others in the station. Most of the people here tried to ignore newcomers. She wasn't really sure why at first, but then she realized after a little while here. Newcomers were looking for help, and none of them could offer any. It was easier to wait for them to take a hint.

Still, she wasn't sure how to react when he turned to her. He reached out and grabbed her shoulder.

"Please, please, you need to help me! I-I don't know where I am or how I- I need help, please!" Stiles shrugged him off and tried to walk away, but he followed her.

"Wait! You- you have to-"

She turned around to face him, covering his mouth to shut him up. "I can't help you, ok."

She removed her hand and started walking again, but he ran in front of her.

Tears gathered in his eyes, and he started talking again, "please, I-I don't... I need to find my parent, I can't-" he seemed to shrink into himself as he spoke. "I-I can't remember them, and I don't know what to do..."

She blinked as she processed that, and then she looked around. "You said you can't remember them?"

He shook his head, and she started to piece together what had happened. She led him over to a bench to sit down.

"Well, the good news is that they're probably here, and they'll probably remember you. Do you know when they went missing?" If she knew the day they got here, that would help.

She talked to the boy for a while longer, and eventually realized she didn't know his name. "Alex," he told her. She nodded. "Stiles."

She decided to explain, as best she could, where they were. He looked devastated when she explained that they were trapped.

"Is... is there any way out?"

She paused for a moment. "I think so... I think that if enough people outside remember us, then the Ghost Riders will fade. But I don't know if that's gonna happen."

They talked only a little bit more, and she gave him some pointers to start looking for his parents. She didn't tell him anything else.

She hadn't lied. She really didn't know if her plan would work.

She looked around at all these people, and she wondered what would happen to them if her plan didn’t work.

_(she really hoped it would, though... she really didn't want to spend forever here)_

* * *

By the time Peter got back to the loft, the night was decidedly not young and he felt fatigue seeping through his whole body.

Even so, he was too rattled to sleep.

Derek had gone out to warn Erica and Boyde, figuring the news of a new creature was a good excuse to make sure they were alright. He had asked Chris to leave, he had said he was fine, but he could not sleep because he _knew_. 

If it had happened to you enough times, you knew when you were being hunted.

_(and it was something he had to go through alone, because he needed to make sure he was the only one hurt, because if anyone else died for him - if he had to lose anyone else before he died, he would **break** )_

His eyes twitched, and he looked out the window, and _oh-_

It was here. And it brought friends.

He pulled out his phone, and called Derek. It only rang once.

_"Peter? What's up, are you-"_ The sound of his nephew's voice was soothing, but he needed to talk quickly. He knew he didn't have long.

"Derek."

He remembered the first time he died.

He had been locked in the basement of his own home, and he hadn't known where Derek or Laura or Cora was. He remembered hoping they were safe. He remembered screaming as he burned. When he had woken up, he had been alive, but his family was dead or missing and he _couldn't move_.

The second time he had died, he had also burned, but he was half-mad and he didn't remember it very well.

This time was different. His family, what was left of it, was safe. He wanted them to stay safe.

_"Tell me what's happening Peter."_ Derek's voice sounded scared, and Peter knew that he knew something was wrong.

Peter saw the riders move outside the window, and he might only have minutes now.

"Derek, it's gonna be ok," he heard himself talking, but he felt like he was a million miles away. "I need you to know that I'm sorry."

_"What?"_

"For everything I did the year I bit Scott. I don't think I ever properly apologized."

_"Peter, where is this coming from?"_

"I loved her too you know."

_"Who-"_

"Laura," he said, and he could almost _feel_ Derek freeze. "I loved her, and I am so sorry for what happened that night."

_"Peter, tell me what's going-"_

Before Peter could reply, or even say anything, he felt a hand grab the back of his shirt.

There was a flash of green, and the apartment was empty. 

_(it was as though Peter Hale had never been there at all)_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have no idea if this plot is coming across the way I envisioned it, but I hope it's good.


End file.
